Time, Narrative, and History

David Carr

Publisher: Bloomington: U. of Indiana Press
ISBN: 0253206030 Browse/Buy


What is a book on the philosophy of history doing on this list?! Carr is a phenomenologist in the tradition of Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty. He unwittingly sheds important light on creativity by giving us a detailed and brilliant analysis of the role of narrative in the making of personal meaning and value. Basically, we create ourselves by telling ourselves a story about who we are, what has happened to us, what we plan to do, and how all of it fits into the "big picture." I would extend this to say that our creative projects are an important part of our experience and have the same narrative structure that Carr finds in everyday life.


Updated: Thursday, 19 April 2001
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